Food is hard these days, that isn’t a secret. Its SO hard for me to figure out what I’m hungry for, or what I can stomach, and sometimes its just trial and error, which isn’t fun. But this week, for whatever strange reason, I’ve been hungry for fuller, meatier meals, which was NOT the case in the weeks leading up to this one. Strange, strange changes, all the time.

Leftovers are the easiest lunch for me, because I don’t have to actually prepare anything, and they keep me fuller (and healthier, obviously) than the general snacky crap I end up eating otherwise.

Today, for lunch, I served myself up a decent sized bowl of leftovers from last nights supper. It was about half of what was left. I heated it up and it was gone waaay too fast. I hemmed and hawed and finally decided to bite the bullet and go back for round two. It was just so so good.

And then I lost my mind, and began microwaving my empty bowl. It only happened for a few seconds, thank goodness, before I clued in. My exact thought was “Wow, I loaded up that second serving fast! Or did I?” I did not, and stopped the microwave immediately. And nothing exploded!!! Win!

This is just one example of how I’ve been losing my mind the last few days. But hey, at least I didn’t lose my lunch!

I’m so looking forward to this afternoon. When Brady found out he was going to have a very short day at work, I called my hair girl and scheduled a quick touch up of the shaved side of my head for the afternoon. My morning was so weird and shivery and sick, and while I feel super wiped out, and going out isn’t ideal for me when I feel like this, I’m hopeful that a change of scenery will be good, even if I pay for it with exhaustion a bit later. It’ll be worth it.

When Brady got home, I grabbed a shower and had some lunch. Food is weird. I assume that my shakes are a result from blood sugar and whatever that all is. I’ve been advised to eat every few hours to help with it. But the thing is, I DO! And I’m STILL SHAKY! Its very frustrating, honestly, but I can’t keep a steady hand to save my life. Makes me feel a bit crazy, but I’ll get to talk to my doctor a bit about it next week.

The shakes paired with my constant chill (because whenever I feel sick, I feel cold) makes me just feel a bit on the unstable side, though I know its just the physical feeling of being out of control. If that makes any sense. I’m not explaining myself well, but typing is hard when my hands are so dang shaky!!! It’ll be good to get outside in the blazing heat and force myself to calm down and warm up.

Yikes! Time to get some makeup on and get ready to go! Fresh hair is worth getting up for 😉

I’m aware my posts are sort of slipping these days. I promise you all, its only for a time. With my current state of legit exhaustion, I’ve been finding regular days pretty hard to get through. And that doesn’t make for enjoyable blog content. So far today, I’ve acted more like a drill sergeant than a mom, accomplished nothing worth mentioning, cleaned up countless spills that I have made myself with my lazy hands, while leaving the soaked cloths and towels in the kitchen sink, next to the dirty dishes. That being said, the kids are alive, fairly happy (which is pretty wondrous actually), and fed. Now that the little boys are sleeping, a show is on and the big kids are relaxing for a bit. Now is usually my chance to blog.

I have a list of blog ideas that are somehow family/pregnancy related that I made for moments like these, but they are on my laptop, and that’s up in my room. And I literally CANNOT will myself to stand and get there. Instead, you’re getting yet another whiny post. It WILL get better, I promise it will.

Just think. In my past pregnancies, on days like this, I had to basically lie through it on here. I couldn’t just be straight up with you guys about how I was feeling. It was so hard. I hoped that, by being open sooner, I would have an easier time during the first trimester struggles. I do feel somewhat better about it, because at least I can talk about whats going on, but its not a whole lot easier :/ I still feel like a total downer. I assure you, I am trying.

I’m so thankful that Brady isn’t going to work a long day today. Help will be on the way in a couple of hours. Until then, we rest and relax and zone a little. It could be a tad bit more relaxing, if not for the jackhammering outside and the new awareness of Laela sniffling every five seconds. Remind me to stay as far away from her as possible! I do not want a cold right now. But likely, neither does she.

We’ll all make it through this weird, hard, tired time. I promise, next time I manage my way upstairs, I’ll look at my list of blog ideas, so we can avoid too many more posts like this 😉

We’ve got this. I’ve got this. Or at least thats what I’m telling myself.

Guys. I am tired today. Wiped. Out.

Brady made me lunch, and I could barely press my fork thru through the food. Today is apparently a day to draaaaag. Good thing we did the tail end of our grocery shopping yesterday, because today would not have been the day, and Brady is back to work tomorrow for the week. It had to be yesterday.

Once the little boys went down for their nap, Brady sent me upstairs to hide and rest. I’m currently watching a rerun of one of the Duggars having a baby on YouTube. I would’ve blogged earlier, but my arms were SO tired, I couldn’t imagine lifting them up to the keyboard.

I’m not making this up. Today, I am physically exhausted. I can’t imagine doing anything extra today. And I’m thankful I don’t have to 🙂 With that being said, though, typing feels like “extra” right now, so back to my show I go!

Praying for more energy tomorrow!!

I texted Jerilee yesterday, just to chat and see what she was busy with that day, like every other day. The conversation began completely innocently, and ended with unexpected evening plans. Jerilee lovingly offered to come hang in our house and care for the sleeping littles so Brady and I could go on a date, and go watch the fireworks! While seeing the fireworks doesn’t make or break my year, it was SO FUN to get out of the house just Brady and I, and go be part of an event that only comes along once a year. We jumped at the offer, obviously.

First, we spent our evening with my parents. They had invited us over for a wiener roast, so we headed over in the late afternoon. The kids played in the yard and spread out the toys VERY well while the rest of us visited and got some food together for supper. It was a total success!

Just for reference, Solomon ate a whole hot dog (as in a wiener and a bun), a good sized bowl of strawberries, and a cookie. The only kid who out-ate him was Dekker. Laela and Rowan stopped at half a hot dog. Crazy kids. Solly also ate a large handful of dirt out of a flowerbed, so even more protein!

We got the kids home pretty close to their usual bedtime, and everyone was nice and tired, and went down fairly smoothly. Jerilee showed up right around 8:00pm and we left shortly thereafter. We stopped to 7eleven and bought bad snacks to bring along with us. I’ve got to say, to anyone who likes to buy the bottles iced teas, the Pure Leaf raspberry one is unbelievable. It genuinely tastes like fresh raspberries as opposed to frozen or candied or whatever else. It was amazing.

We got a pretty decent parking spot, considering the size of our vehicle, and hauled our blanket and snacks to the park. We chose a spot on the hill, snuggled up in our blanket, and read all of the pregnancy apps on Brady’s phone to pass the time. I took them all off of my phone after my miscarriage, but I don’t think Brady did. He was perhaps a tad more level headed than I was. Either way, we like to read them together anyway.

Finally, the fireworks began! They went for a solid half hour, complete with the kid beside us screaming “Canada rocks!” over and over, and the guy in front of us who yelled “Ho!” every time a new firework showed up or surprised him. Haha! You’ve got to have those people, right?

It was a great show! The finale pounded in my chest LOUDLY, and really closed it off with a bang!

We followed the crowd out of the park and slowly made our way to the van. Leaving is always the most chaotic part of the evening, but we intentionally parked somewhat far away so it wouldn’t be as bad leaving. And it wasn’t. All was well.

It was SUCH a lovely night away. We could hold hands, and take our time, and eat candy without having to share! We could sit quietly and just rest with each other, and didn’t have to entertain anyone else. It was freeing and special. While I really love to be with my kids, and I don’t feel like we’re suffering hard without ample amounts of dates, I am so thankful we got an evening away.

Thank you, Jerilee, ever so much for offering us a date 💗 It was SUCH an amazing gift!

I feel mildly scandalous posting about my pregnancy on a day when most people would likely be posting about Canada Day (or at least Canadians would be) but I’m just a tad more interested in talking about the little papoose. Hopefully no one objects 😉 I guess, if you do, you don’t have to read! Isn’t that freeing? Haha! Aaaaanyway…

Onto my second entry in the series!

Comparisons/Size: The fun little comparison chart I’m liking this time around compares the baby’s size to that of a pecan! Beyond that, I’m kind of useless to you in this category. I don’t weigh myself on the regular, and I don’t care to measure my stomach, haha! I know my starting weight so I’ll keep you in the loop along the way when I do gain some, but it will not be weekly. Who really cares, though. I’ve gained completely different amounts in each pregnancy, and all the kids are great 😉 so I say again, who cares?

How am I feeling mentally: With my sickness kicking it up a notch (we’ll talk about that in a minute) my nerves have eased a little bit. I would not feel this consistently ill for no reason. I have found some confidence in that, though of course, not 100%. But it helps. Usually my first trimester is filled with nerves and I struggle pretty bad with sleep, but my nausea pills help put me to sleep, which is also helpful towards my mental health. I can tell, I am far less reasonable and far more nervous when I haven’t slept well.

How am I feeling physically: Physically, I have felt better, haha! I’m so thankful for the medication I can take, because it really takes the edge off. I was anticipating updating about this, because earlier this week, I was feeling like my meds had completely taken away my sickness! But I’m pretty sure that was just a good moment 😉 I eat pretty much every couple of hours, sometimes more, and if I don’t, I really feel it. I get SO nauseous and wiped out, and very very shaky. Its hard, honestly :/ It sucks to feel so sick so consistently. I feel unreliable and lazy, but I know its all for a good cause. These days, I know that while I’m sitting still, staring past everyone, completely zoned in my own little world, my body is racing around, working like crazy to build a whole person!! So its allowed to be tired. I can keep all of this at bay with regular eating, thankfully. Doesn’t help with the chills though. Brrrrr!!

Writing it all out is good, actually. My physical struggles are actually helping my mental health! Win!

Appointments: Nope. Still nothing new to report. I said last time that I would be booking another ultrasound soon (I have the requisition on my island and everything) but I’m kind of hanging onto it until I feel I need it more, you know? I’m hoping to book it this week, though.

Buys/Wish List: I’ve resisted up to this point! I’m thinking, though, I want to buy a new, BIG water bottle soon. I have one thats kind of small and I don’t like the spout on it very much. I’d like one with a straw. Maybe even just one of those BIG clear Starbucks cups with a straw. I’ve seen water bottles that have measurements and times on them, so they kind of dictate that you should have drank up to that line by whatever o’clock. I would LOVE one like that but I have no idea where to find such a thing locally, or even for a decent price. But I can safely say I do NOT drink enough water. So I should buy something like that sooner than later.

How are the other kids feeling about the whole things?: Not too much has changed in this area. Everyone is still happy. Dekker brought the baby up this week over breakfast. First, he told me he really wants the baby to be a girl. Then, he suggested the baby name “Beaver.” Laela and Rowan jumped in with their full support on the name he had chosen, and they all tried to convince me it was a beautiful name. I asked if anyone had any other ideas. “Girl Love” was suggested. I thanked them for their input, and told them to keep thinking about names, and that I LOVED that they were excited about the baby. But for the record, we will not be naming our baby either of those names…

The BEST thing about being pregnant this week: I think the best thing about being pregnant this week was the fact that I felt optimistic, and hopeful. To me, that speaks of all of the people who are lifting us up in prayer, and that God is here. I know there is no guarantee ever in pregnancy. EVER. And I know myself, and I should be anxious. But at the moment, I’m not. I’m thankful for my discomfort and symptoms reminding me that the baby is growing and developing, and I can feel less fear and more gratefulness and excitement. The BEST thing about this week is the peace I’ve been feeling.

Anything else? Uuummm…I bought non-alcoholic radler. I haven’t tasted it yet, so I guess this doesn’t count for much, but wish me luck! It would be such a fun surprise if it was delicious! My hopes are definitely higher than my expectations.

Pictures: I had to run upstairs to take one before I started writing today’s post. I even put jeans back on! You’re welcome.

I definitely do not have a baby bump yet, but things are changing, anyway. Its all still soft and bloaty, but it counts. This looks like baby bloat, which I’m thankful for. It does good things for my heart, too, to see that I already have something to show for my pregnancy. I never show so early, except I did with Theo. I was worried that, for some reason, I wouldn’t show early this time, and I would maybe feel like I made my Theo bump up or something. But I didn’t. Its a nice reminder that he was with us, even for that short time 🙂 Very much another little family member. One I still miss dreadfully. I would be about eight months pregnant right now had he lived.

All in all, I liked this week. I’m so happy to be nine whole weeks pregnant! While time is positively inching by, I’m thankful for every day that I’ve been able to be pregnant. Summer has come, and will likely go way sooner than I imagine. And then we’ll be settling into a new routine with Dekker going to school full time, and Laela starting preschool. And as soon as we get all comfortable and settled, it’ll be Christmas. And SO SOON after Christmas, it’ll be our turn. I try so hard not to look too far ahead, but its hard some days. I wish I didn’t have to be so far away, but I can wait. ❤️

In the last couple of weeks, nausea has hit me harder than ever before, and I’ve been taking medication full time to keep it at bay. Conveniently, the double dose I take before bed has a delicious drowsy effect, and I’m out to lunch within twenty minutes of taking it. Its a nice system for the time being.

Last night was a bit different, though. While I fell asleep quite easily, I woke up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom. That part isn’t uncommon, lol! But then I took a sip of water, and normally, I have no problem rolling over and going back to bed. But last night, I couldn’t. I was drowsy, though. Ok, let’s be real. I was solidly disoriented. It was better than laying wide awake in bed for hours, but I dozed in and out for what felt like forever. I believe I got up to pee four times, which is NOT common. I just could not get back to sleep.

Until I did, obviously, and I have no idea when it happened, but I was zonked. I don’t remember Brady leaving for work, or hearing the kids at all. I was toast.

Needless to stay, I woke up pretty hard and had a difficult time dragging my sorry butt out of bed. But, it happened, after a while. The kids were happy and friendly, and the big kids got breakfast all set up so all I had to do was pour the milk. Once I had zombied my way through that, I went to microwave my morning coffee. I was in desperate need of a pick me up. I took my nausea meds and sipped my coffee a bit.

And of all days for my coffee not to sit well, today ended up being the day. I could’ve cried, honestly. While I sat still and drank my coffee so slowly, my gag reflex fought back hard. So I didn’t barf, but clearly, I lost the fight. I could barely manage to eat anything in the morning, and I was really shaky because of it. I finally found something I could eat without heaving – cinnamon toast crunch – and ever so slowly, I stopped shaking, and seemed to level off a bit. Who knew the answer would be pure sugar? Lol!

Thank goodness, Brady is anticipating being home sooner than later. Its always such a treat when a house finishes up faster than anticipated! Until then, though, I’m going to lay still on this recliner, shamelessly, while my little ones sleep and my big ones watch Charlie Brown again.

Last year, my interest in makeup application was growing immensely, and my skill was improving more than I had ever really expected. Looking back now, I don’t know why I was so nervous to take the Makeup Artistry course I did, but I’m so thankful that I did! It taught me some more “correct” application techniques and a lot of general rules that I didn’t know. Basically, makeup theory. I’m so thankful I learned all of that. Face shapes, the color wheel, how to choose the right foundation, all of the little but important details! However, the biggest thing that I learned from the course was that makeup is artistry. Its more than just rules, and its a place to be creative! I learned that, despite the trends and styles floating around, you do what you want to do, and be confident in it. That was the best lesson, because I really did gain confidence. I wear last years eyebrows proudly, haha! And I highlight my chin even though its pointy. Honestly, I highlight it because its pointy, and I like it that way!

When I took this course, we were encouraged to think ahead and consider where we wanted to end up, and how this course was going to help. Where was it going to get me? The other girls wanted to work in salons, or sell makeup with some education under their belt. I was the only one without a big direction in mind. I said I just really loved playing with makeup, and wanted to be a go-to for people in my town, whether for a party, a date, just for fun, some time away from home, etc. I remember saying “Maybe when I’m really confident, I’ll try to get in on the grad circuit.”

That was last fall, and today, I made up two beautiful girls (and one of their lovely mamas) in preparation for their graduation ceremonies this evening!! I’ll admit that I was sweating up a storm by the end of it, but it happened, and it happened well! Everyone left happy and polished, and I felt confident as I sent them on their way. If I can be so bold, I think everything turned out very well! Success all around.

I’m SO thankful that people have been willing to put their trust in me in the last couple of months, and I’ve gained quite a bit more experience under my belt. I feel much more capable, and I think it showed today. I didn’t even feel very nervous! That says a lot. I truly enjoyed my work today 🙂

Now to go upstairs and do my eyes. With only the basics on, I’m feeling a tad underdone 😉

I had a brief moment of panic when WordPress congratulated me on my five years of blogging today. Did I get the date wrong??? But no, it was congratulating me for yesterday. Don’t ask me why. Better late than never, WordPress!

On top of that anniversary yesterday, the day itself was quite exciting! Firstly, it was Dekker’s last day of kindergarten!! While he’s  grown to really enjoy school, and make lots of friends, and learn a lot, he would always rather be at home 🙂 So he is thrilled that he has all summer off! Just for fun, here’s a side by side of Dekker’s first and last days of school.

He’s really loving the long hair, which I’m totally thrilled about 🙂 Looking great, Dekker!!

His siblings were also really happy to have him home for good 🙂 We had talked about it a lot so everyone was excited when it finally happened.

Ok, let’s be honest. Laela wasn’t quite as pumped. But Rowan was!

It was adorable.

While that part of the day was very exciting and happy, the evening promised to be even better!! My parents came around 6:00, and our friends arrived to pick Brady and I up to go on a double date! We go on dates so rarely, and double dates are even less often. But there was NO way around this one!!

Walk Off the Earth was in town!!!

Of course I have absolutely no pictures or videos of the show, because it was just way too entertaining and I didn’t want to miss a thing. It seemed to be over so fast, even though we stood in a crowd of people the entire time, and that wears on a body! Seriously though, any hype you may or may not have heard about how amazing that show was is ALL TRUE. I can’t imagine a single person being disappointed with anything about the show. How Sarah Blackwell can sing with such power behind it when she is that pregnant is really saying something!! I feel like her lung capacity would have to be smaller than average at this point, but you would never have known!! They are all so very talented.

Bonus of the night: We took a really good selfie!! When does everyone in a group selfie actually look good??

Bonus bonus: On the way back to our vehicle, we saw a ton of baby bunnies!! Tiny little grey fluffy things just racing around the parking lot! They were super sweet!! Oh, and bonus bonus bonus, the parking lot’s ticket dispenser was out of order, so free parking super close to the concert!!

SO MANY BONUSES!

It was a real winner of a day, honestly. My parents fed the kids and put them to bed, so I know the littles had a good evening as well 🙂 Seems like it was happy all around! I hope you all had happy days as well.

I can’t say I ever thought I’d make it to this point, but today marks FIVE YEARS since I began “The Daily Hailey!”

When I started my blog up, I made a point not to look too far ahead. Posting daily was a pretty sizeable undertaking, and I didn’t know how long I’d last. But five years later, its simply part of my routine, and only getting easier, honestly. I like my blog more now, and I enjoy putting a bit more planning into it, and writing more intentionally. I want to record memories here, but I also want you who read to be at least semi-entertained from time to time. I feel like my writing has changed a bit over time, but hopefully in a good way. This blog has been nothing but GOOD for me.

I’ve learned the value of being open with people, and that while you can never please everyone, there is a way to politely co-exist and support each other, even if you’re not 100% on the same page. I’ve learned a LOT in the last year, and I hope at least some of you have seen a bit of a shift here. Its been a big year. I’m so thankful to have had so many of you guys along for the ride.

Just to continue along with my keeping of record, I feel like I should note that I make ZERO income from this blog, hahaha! I have no idea how people monetize blogs 🤷‍♀️ Lol! I’ve tried to look into it but as far as I can see, its WAY easier to make money off of a blog in the states than it is in Canada. So I’ll continue to not worry about that and just go what I enjoy doing, which is writing in my grossly imperfect casual way. Maybe if I tried to be a bigger deal, I’d have to write more formally, which I am suuuper no good at, as this very sentence displays. 😂 I hope everyone can handle my run on sentences, and sentence fragments. And starting sentences with conjunctions 😉 See what I did there?

I don’t want to toot my own horn, but I am SO happy that I made it this far with the blog!! I never would have thought I’d blog daily for FIVE WHOLE YEARS! If I made it this many years, I have no idea when I’ll actually stop writing it. I love a good round number, and the next one is five years away, so…..

Thank you all SO MUCH for being loyal readers and friends and supporters of our family. I’m constantly blown away by how many people I’ve connected with (or reconnected with) through this blog. It started as an outlet for me to feel like I was getting some adult conversation (even if it was with myself) when I was at home with my one baby boy. Its grown into a place for me to learn and grow and ask questions and debate things out. I’ve made friends and, to be fair, lost a couple. I’ve been able to reach out and at least try to help others, and many people have reached out in support of our family as well. So much has happened in the last five years, and while there have definitely been hurdles, I’m so glad I have it all on record.

Five years, guys!! Thats a LONG time!! Who’s in for the next five? ✋